A study by Casarano and colleagues uses LCA methodology to compare two non-potable water supply options at an Italian brewery in Puglia: internal wastewater recovery and groundwater desalination.
The results reveal a complex picture: on the one hand, water recovery offers clear advantages in some environmental categories, such as water consumption and ozone depletion; on the other, it is associated with higher impacts in other categories, including climate change and eutrophication, primarily related to the life cycle of the materials used in recovery.
Despite these critical issues, the option of replacing groundwater with reclaimed water represents an important strategic choice in conditions of water scarcity, which Southern Italy increasingly faces. Particularly for non-potable uses, reuse reduces competition for high-quality water supplies.
The study also highlights the potential for improving the recovery process and thus reducing its environmental impact, for example by optimizing the plant’s operating parameters to extend the life of materials, using alternative filtration solutions, and using lower-impact electricity sources. From this perspective, wastewater recovery is a strategic option compared to the desalination process, but one that should be optimized.
Bibliographic references: Giulia Casarano, Francesco Sardella, Pasquale Giungato.Industrial water reclamation in southern Italy: Insights from the life cycle assessment of a brewery case study. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 553, 2026, 147970, ISSN 0959-6526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.147970
